After serving four-and-a-half years in the Army during World War II--mostly in the battle-torn islands of the South Pacific--and along the way losing his best friend at Iwo Jima, Earl Shaffer came home to Pennsylvania with a large dose of military depression. After rattling around for a while, he decided to act upon a prewar dream of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, a decision that was spurred by reading a magazine article stating that such a feat was likely impossible. Earl achieved his goal, and he forever earned a niche in hiking history. Over the course of three decades, he wrote a...
After serving four-and-a-half years in the Army during World War II--mostly in the battle-torn islands of the South Pacific--and along the way losi...
